THE FINAL ARBITER IS A WATCHDOG TOO
President Thabo Mbeki's choice of Judge Pius Langa as chief justice has met with widespread approval. Langa has an estimable record as a jurist, and a reputation for independence seen as having grown out of his advocacy of civil rights in the apart...
ANOTHER WEEK
AT HOME Thabo Mbeki recommends to the Judicial Service Commission that deputy chief justice Pius Langa (65) be named to...
A REALISTIC PUBLIC-PRIVATE BRIDGE TO MEDICAL CARE
In a week when the constitutional court was dealing with the price of medicine, it was tempting to recall the principle that the law should not concern itself with trifles. But the case has rather illustrated the law of unintended consequences. ...
A BLAIR-SHAPED AFRICA STRUGGLES TO BE BORN
The one message UK prime minister Tony Blair wanted Africans to hear clearly as he revealed his Africa Commission report last week was: "Trust me - things are going to be different this time." He backed this up with the appointment of his first bla...
EDITOR'S NOTE
e-mail: fmeditor@fm.co.za
Invited to volunteer a name for a common currency for Southern Africa the other day, a radio listener came up with a classic. What about calling it an Afro, he asked. Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni is pushing for a single currency for the Sout...
A SQUEEZE THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE
By Jamie Carr
As Pope John Paul II becomes ever more frail, the jockeying for position among the College of Cardinals must be getting a bit lively. These princes of the Church of Rome are the ones who will choose the next pope from their ranks, and while any...
RENAMING RAMPAGE
Melvin Taderera, via e-mail.
I see SA has gone on a renaming rampage, much like we did in Zimbabwe. We renamed all the major towns and monuments, replacing them with names that sounded "more Zimbabwean". What we were in fact trying to do was to erase all e...
PAY TEACHERS MORE
Name withheld, via e-mail.
I loved the March 11 Editor's Note, which put my thoughts into words: "The problem is right under our noses. It is the teacher, the single most important person in any education system." Well qualified and motivated teacher...
ASK THE SCHOOLS
Hannes Jansen, via e-mail.
I concur with your comments on education (Editor's Note March 11), but the question of why it is in such a mess remains unanswered. From my experience with education, mainly at school level, the answer lies in the administrati...
DRIVING LESSONS
Geoffrey Hunt, Stanford Lake College, Haenertsburg.
I am a student in matric this year and was reading the FM (March 4) for research but, as always, I got sidetracked and began reading other articles. I enjoyed the Cover Story, "Hand over the key", on cars of the futu...
WE BEAR THE BRUNT
Teigue Payne, via e-mail.
Halton Cheadle is right in identifying excessive adherence to perceived correct procedure at the CCMA as a "spectre" for employers (By Invitation March 4. But he falls into the familiar sinecure of blaming the past and allegin...
INDIA, HERE WE COME!
André Potgieter, Woodstock.
It was interesting to note that Kishore Biyani is said to be the largest retailer in India (FM Focus March 11). Surely a retailer of such magnitude shouldn't feel threatened by the entry of SA's largest supermarket chain into ...
LEON NO LIBERAL
Sean Muller, Cape Town.
Tony Leon (By Invitation March 11) complains that the DA is treated differently from other groups of social commentators even when it says the same things, but the reason is obvious and lies in his party's past statements ...
DISTURBING HLOPHE
Tony Leon, MP, Leader of the Opposition, Cape Town.
I have avoided reading the Hlophe report in full because I believe the way the judge president has conducted himself and the attendant publicity around this matter has been to the deep prejudice of the b ench and has impaired the ...
CRITICISING THE CRITIC
Brian Moor, Johannesburg.
I am frequently completely flummoxed by Peter Wilhelm's writing. One recent example is the review of "True Lies" (Arts & Leisure January 28). I quote: "Almodóvar's swiftly exfoliating revelations or pararevelations keep...
NO JUDICIAL CHARTER
Kaizer Kganyago, on behalf of the minister.
The minister for justice & constitutional development, Brigitte Mabandla, has noted with concern the inaccuracies presented in the article "Judicial charter on the cards" (Current Affairs March 11). I would like to state clear...
PRESIDENCY DEBATE
Mokgautjwana Kgwete, Sekhukhune, Limpopo.
Irrespective of whether the ANC is willing to engage in a debate on who should succeed President Thabo Mbeki, the nation is already doing so. And this will continue for as long as there is uncertainty about who our next head of state...
END CELL SENTENCE
B Feldtman, via e-mail.
What is it about these cell network and service providers that act as if they are God's gift to their captive users? One would think that with new legislation allowing migration to a competitor, with the same cell number, they wou...
SCRAP CONTROL
Terence Scudamore, Kenilworth.
The absence of any announcements by finance minister Trevor Manuel in his 2005 budget about exchange control liberalisation is worrying, as it is vital that the local currency enters a period of sustained stability. However, his conf...
BEST LETTER
Each week, the best reader's letter will win a Motorola cellphone valued at between R4 500 and R5 000. The winner this week is Melvin Taderera of Bulawayo, who submitted a letter by e-mail. The judge this week was the editor, Barney ...
